Linguistic diversity and the stakes for the Francophonie
Type de matériel :
51
Today the world counts between 6 500 and 7 000 languages. Hierarchical relations between these languages have been presented in what is known as the gravitational model. While some are widely spoken, others are on the verge of disappearance, and the urbanisation of our planet, constantly increasing, allows us to think that the constant growth of languages – along a logistic model – has reached a culminating point. When facing this tendency – well illustrated by Internet, for instance – “ La Francophonie” has chosen to contend language diversity and ally itself to two other linguistic areas (Spanish-speaking and Portuguese speaking areas). For better credibility and to avoid being identified as “a linguistic Yalta”, such policies ought to take into account the future of the languages that gravitate within each of these areas. Yet at the same time it should be aware that diversity concerns these very languages too, which in itself is a factor of change that might lead to the surge of new languages.
Réseaux sociaux